Way of the Warrior
by SaiyaGirl1
Summary: Goku is visited by someone from Vegetasei, I'll bet you can guess who. One shot.


1 The Way of the Warrior  
  
by Lynda Behling  
  
Chichi was doing the dishes when she felt the energy. It was a power level, a high one. She paused, her hands still holding a soaking plate. There was something familiar about this energy. It was coming towards the house. It was still far off and coming slowly.  
  
"Goku," She said casually, returning her attention to the dish. "There's someone coming up the road."  
  
Goku knew this already. He had known for some time and had silently tracked the power. He continued his pushups, unheeding. Whoever it was, they would come soon enough.  
  
Gohan stepped out of his bedroom warily. The little ten year old looked about cautiously. "Mom? Dad?" His parents looked up. "Someone's coming."  
  
Goku stood up and walked over to Gohan. He stooped down to him till they were eye to eye. "I know Gohan, but it's late. You should be sleeping."  
  
Gohan rubbed the sand from his eyes sleepily. "But I'm not tired. I can't sleep." He said.  
  
Goku smiled. He picked up his son and carried him back to his bed. "You just sleep, I'll take care of everything." He said, tucking the blanket around Gohan.  
  
"M'kay." Gohan said as he dozed off.  
  
Goku smiled again. He pushed Gohan's unruly black hair from his face and walked out of the room. He closed the door silently.  
  
Chichi looked up at Goku worriedly. Her hands clutched a dish towel. Goku put his hands on her shoulders. "I'll handle it." He said to her. The worried lines on her face smoothed out as relief washed through her.  
  
Goku let his hands drop to his sides. Chichi's apprehensive looked came back. Goku walked to the door to greet the unknown guest walking up the road.  
  
He wasn't quite in view yet. Goku could sense his power though. He was walking slowly to the house. It was obvious that he was walking to his own house in particular. No one else lived within miles of here. And Goku found that his life was filled with such distractions.  
  
The man came slowly into view. He wore the same type of armor that Vegeta wore, just different colors. This man wore black instead of Vegeta's blue. Goku was surprised to see a tail wrapped around the man's waist. He was tall, the same height as Goku. Goku recognized him. His hair, his eyes, his nose, his mouth. They were all familiar to Goku. He saw those features every morning when he looked in the mirror.  
  
Goku looked calmly at the man. The man stopped a few yards away from the house. Looking just as calm as Goku was.  
  
Suddenly it burst into Goku's mind who this person was. And, with that knowledge, he also knew why he was here.  
  
The man made the first move. It was a low kick, designed to unbalance the opponent.. Goku smiled as he dodged swiftly. He sprang into the air and flipped over his opponent. From behind him, still upside down, he aimed a shot at his lower back. His opponent turned and aimed a kick to Goku's side. Goku faded out and appeared a few feet ahead of the man, right side up.  
  
Chichi looked out the window of the house. Goku and the stranger were staring at each other intently. She thought that the other one looked like Goku a bit, but before that thought finished it's course they disappeared in a blur of movement. Then they moved into the sky and disappeared altogether. Chichi followed there energy patterns. There was no significant difference, as long as Goku didn't turn super saiya-jin.  
  
Chichi felt safe, although her husband was now engaged in battle 10 feet from the house. If it was unsafe for her and Gohan to be here, Goku would have told them to leave by now.  
  
Chichi studied her husbands' ki. She had never been this close to him while he was fighting another opponent other than herself. Even when Piccolo stayed here a few weeks and trained with Goku and Gohan, they were further away from the house. She saw again the intensity in which Goku loved fighting. She was painfully made aware once again that this was the one thing Goku lived for.  
  
He left his family and friends to fight an opponent.  
  
He left her alone.  
  
She vowed that Gohan would never do that to whomever he loved. She felt if he was grounded solidly in the real world, he wouldn't ignore his family. If he was based in science and math.. There were so many people in the world that were. One of them, one of them he would chose to spend his life with. And Chichi wasn't going to let anyone else go through what she went through.  
  
She looked at Gohan's bedroom door. She could tell he was fast asleep. Or else he would be begging her to go outside and see the fight.  
  
She gathered his school books off the table. On top of them was a large yellow flower. It had a tag on it. It read: "For my mom" She smiled to herself and went to get a vase.  
  
They were still fighting by the time she had the flower in water. She opened the door and leaned on the wall looking at the pair. She couldn't really see them. But her senses weren't so out of practice that she couldn't see them with her mind.  
  
She put a hand on her flat stomach. It was so close to the day to meet the andriods, she wouldn't tell him yet.  
  
In a few days, he would leave her again. All alone, in an empty shell of a house. Empty without what made it livable.  
  
But he was here now. And if he was going to leave her over fighting. Then maybe she should participate.  
  
The two fighters had returned to the ground. They exchanged half a glance at each other, then moved to attack again. Suddenly Chichi appeared between them. The both pulled their punches back at the same time, almost falling over.  
  
Chichi had a superior look on the face. "Come in to eat." She said.  
  
Goku didn't argue with Chichi when it came to food. He straightened up and so did his opponent. "Be right there." Goku said. But Chichi was already heading for the house.  
  
The two adversaries faced each other. "You have grown into an excellent warrior." Bardock said to his son.  
  
"So have you." Goku said to his father. They turned together and started for the house.  
  
"When you're done," Chichi said to them. "Maybe I'll join in."  
  
Bardock smiled at her. "You, lady, are the perfect wife." He said. He reached for her hand and kissed it lightly.  
  
It was a monumental effort to keep herself from blushing. Even then, a little color seeped through. "Thank you." She said in, what she was happy to find, a strong, clear voice.  
  
"How did you get here?" Goku asked.  
  
"I asked the old woman for my one day back. Since Vegeta was destroyed. I told her to take me to where my son was."  
  
Goku looked up at the space above Bardock's head. "Where's your halo then?" he asked.  
  
"You don't get them where I am." Bardock said, totally sober. "They let me keep my body, for reason's unknown to me, and gave me my one day."  
  
"Why come now?" Goku said.  
  
"I heard that Freeza was killed, I came to met the man who killed him."  
  
Goku laughed. "The first time anyway." He said. "but let's not sit around here anymore. I'm hungry."  
  
End 


End file.
